Adman Piyush Pandey has become the first Indian to receive the LIA Legend Award, a global award that was instituted in 2023. The award is presented to a leader of the industry past or current who through their talent, vision and generosity have not just demonstrated outstanding creativity at all levels, they have also demonstrated their willingness to share, mentor and develop others with a focus on the advancement of the industry and creative thinking in all sectors.
LIA has been a global Award for creative excellence in all forms of media growing and evolving its competitions to now include 29 categories. In 1986, Barbara Levy, Founder & President of London International Awards (LIA), started the multi-disciplinary, international awards show in the advertising industry.
Ogilvy’s Pandey is India’s most-celebrated adman on the global stage and an icon of Indian advertising. Also the industry’s most influential, Pandey has redefined advertising over four decades.
Before Pandey began his long-term partnership with Ogilvy in 1982, he lived a different life – from playing cricket for his home state of Rajasthan to tea tasting and construction. He was a 27-year cricket player before joining Ogilvy as a suit.
He has been the Executive Chairman of Ogilvy India since 2004. He has also served as the Global Chief Creative Officer of Ogilvy for two and a half years.
Pandey is credited with putting Indian advertising on the world map with over 600 national and international awards to his name. He was the first Asian to chair the Cannes jury in 2004. He was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by Advertising Agencies Association of India in 2010. The Lifetime Achievement Award by Clio followed in 2012. He was honoured with the Indian National Civilian Award (Padma Shri) in 2016 by the President of India. Piyush, along with his brother, was awarded the Lion of St. Mark at the International Festival of Creativity at Cannes in 2018. He has been a mentor at The Berlin School of Creative Leadership for several years.
Pandey believes people in advertising can use their creativity to drive social change. He has created several impactful social campaigns – including his many years of work with UNICEF and the Government of India to make India polio-free. India was declared a polio-free country in 2014.
Piyush has stepped into an advisory role at Ogilvy, as of January 1st 2024.
Read more: Piyush Pandey and Ogilvy: A look back at Indian advertising’s greatest innings